The Compelling Nature of Peanut Butter Crush Bars
Peanut brittle and dark chocolate from the Candy Manufactory
One of the most commonly asked questions I get over the years is, “What’s your favorite of the Candy Manufactory’s artisan candy bars? Here’s the answer: Peanut Butter Crush! A touch savory and subtly sweet, with dark chocolate and shaved slivers of artisan peanut brittle. What could be bad?
If you’ve never experienced a Peanut Butter Crush, I invite you to stop by and give one a try. The bar starts with shards of the Candy Manufactory’s marvelous peanut brittle blended with a touch of milk chocolate and a sprinkling of crisped and then crushed rice into a coarse-textured paste that reminds me a bit of eating good halvah, or maybe a peanut-based marzipan. Either way, it’s a truly terrific piece of modern confectionery art.
Essentially, it’s made by deconstructing chocolate-covered peanut brittle and turning it into a melt-in-the-mouth candy bar that lights up your tongue with just the teeniest touch of sea salt, offset against the dark Colombian chocolate with which it’s coated. Over the years, I’ve watched loads of people take their first bite, almost every time they emit something between a deep sigh and a solid “Wow!” They are really that good. I’m not typically a sweet eater, but even I get caught up in feeling compelled to eat another bite of this amazing artisan confectionery.
If you’re going somewhere this spring where a gift of chocolate might brighten someone’s day, consider these. You can also cut one into very small bites and savor along with a cup of the El Regalito coffee from Guatemala (this month’s Roaster’s Pick at Zingerman’s Coffee). While gifts for birthdays or anniversaries, of course, count, I guarantee an unexpected gift of artisan candy bars to someone you care about, accompanied by a card of appreciation on a random Tuesday, will evoke a response far greater. Unexpected generosity is pretty much guaranteed to hit the spot. Or maybe, in this case, I should say, crush it!
Crush a couple
